"Bigger, Stronger, Faster" The Movie

For anyone who has ever wanted to be bigger, stronger and faster, I highly recommend the documentary film, "Bigger, Stronger, Faster, The Side Effect of Being American" written and directed by Chris Bell.

Chris, the narrator, begins the film by explaining that he was a typical porky kid living a typical life with his two equally nerdy brothers. This was until the three began to watch WWF giants like Hulk Hogan wrestle one another and became disciples of films like "Conan" and "Rocky" which glamorized the oily, rippling muscles of Schwarzenegger and Stallone. The three brothers set out to achieve the Stallone-esque physique and to be the biggest, strongest guys around without using steroids. Chris even comments how his heroes always said they achieved results with hard work, not drugs.

Fast forward a few years to when the brothers discovered that their heroes were liars. Everyone was juicing up from Stallone and Schwarzenneger to Olympic athletes and baseball players. It seemed to be an accepted prerequisite to compete at an elite level.

It is at this point that Chris, whose two brothers regularly use steroids, begins to explore steroid usage in the U.S. The pros, the cons, the evidence about the safety of steroid use versus the dangers. He explores the health and fitness supplement business as well and the myths we've all fallen prey to, such as those weight loss supplement ads with before and after pictures.

Chris also explores the ethical and legal side of the steroid issue and does a pretty good job of presenting both sides. In the end, the film might have leaned more in the direction of if you're an adult, you should be able to make the decision whether or not to use steroids, but still I thought the film was worth watching simply for the facts and the thought provoking manner in which the argument was made.

And for the record, I am an adult who doesn't believe in using steroids, but then again I'm not one who believes in using supplements and/or drugs (including most pharmaceuticals) for anything. The human body is an incredible machine, why mess with it?